New York Knicks guard Josh Hart will have a different type of role than the one he had last season. With Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns now on the roster to carry the scoring load alongside Jalen Brunson, Hart will get significantly fewer shot opportunities than last year.
Knicks’ Josh Hart will have less of an impact on scoring this season
It is likely that this season he will serve as the Swiss army knife they envisioned him being when they traded for him two seasons ago. For comparison purposes, his role will be similar to that of Derrick White on the Boston Celtics but with less scoring and more hustle plays.
Hart acknowledged that there won’t be as many shots for him, but he is also aware that his main job involves making an impact in other areas of the court that don’t involve scoring.
“At the end of the day, my job isn’t to go out there and score 20. It’s not to go out there and force things offensively and try to make things happen,” Hart said via the New York Post. “My job is to rebound, defend at a high level, offensively kind of be a connector, get into the lane and find guys for open shots, get the rebound, push the pace and get us easy transition buckets.”
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Hart’s main impact areas are rebounding and playmaking
Hart was essentially a non-factor scoring-wise in the Knicks’ preseason opener on Sunday, as he finished the game scoreless with just two shot attempts, both of which came from three-point range. However, he did tally a rebound and an assist in the limited action he saw, which are the parts of his game that truly make him a winning player.
The 6-4 guard is capable of putting points on the board when he needs to, but his main areas of impact involve rebounding and playmaking, both of which the Knicks need desperately in order to have a balanced attack on both ends. Hart added that he is not focused on the amount of shots he is getting in games with the extra mouths to feed on the court.
“I don’t worry about shots,” Hart said. “The shots will come how I play. How I play is very random. The shots will be there. I think I shot the ball twice [Sunday]. At the end of the day, I don’t think any team’s won without several people sacrificing. If that’s me sacrificing points, I will gladly do that.”
With more scoring options at the Knicks’ disposal, it is likely that Hart’s scoring numbers will drop this season. However, that doesn’t make it a down year for the former Villanova product, as long as he provides a spark to the rest of the team with his energy and tenacity.
